The Seventh
by Katiyana
Summary: The team find that some of their own are being targeted and there is a shocking revelation.
1. Chapter 1

Title : The Seventh Couple

Summary : The team find that some of their own are being targeted and there is a shocking revelation.

Chapter 1

"Good morning, Agent Hotchner. Thank you very much for taking the time to see me. I do appreciate that you and your team have just finished your case and you're on your way home. But I think you'll want to see this ," said the slim female detective as they shook hands.

"Agent Jareau deemed it important that we take a look at this and I trust her judgement," explained Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner curtly. He did not mince his words. He was tired and so was the team. They had solved the case and caught the UnSub but were unable to stop him from killing his latest victim. Hotch was not in the mood to be nice or polite.

The only reason he had even considered agreeing to meet this brazen detective who had barged in with a case without going through the proper channels was because he knew with certainty that JJ would have had a very good reason for bending protocol. JJ insisted that the team needed to look at this case urgently and she had even seemed shaken. Not many things could shake the petite media liason. She had been through too much as part of the team. Hotch was willing to yield to her request because he trusted her and he hadn't even reprimanded her for breaking the rules. He probably would have if it had been another member of the team but that was a subject he simply chose to ignore.

"Right, well. I'm hoping that the information I have will help you in the case you're pursuing," said Detective Lewis, as she drew out files and pictures from her bag.

"What do you mean the case we're pursuing, detective?" asked Agent Dave Rossi.

Detective Lewis stopped pulling out papers and glanced up at the puzzled faces gathered around the table.

"You're team isn't currently involved in an undercover operation to catch a serial killer?" she asked slowly.

"Detective, we've finished the case that we came here to do and as a rule we only work one case at the time. Do you want to start from the beginning and tell us what is going on?" said Agent Rossi.

"Oh," said Detective Lewis, obviously flustered and her eyes quickly darted towards Agents Prentiss and Morgan.

"I apologize for causing you all this confusion. And I apologize in advance to Agents Prentiss and Morgan. I work in the narcotics division. A week ago, we raided a large house on the outskirts for drugs. We found the drugs but we also found something else," she began pulling out enlarged photographs and placed them on the table.

"The drug dealers used the space on the street level and the one above. The second and third level was empty and the fourth looked empty initially but we found a locked room. There was an area where a person had obviously been living and adjoining it was something that looked like some kind of shrine. As it was a drug raid and the main aim was to locate the drugs there were only a few pictures taken to record the initial scene before the dogs were let loose," said Detective Lewis.

"We didn't find any drugs there but as I looked at the pictures, I realized that I recognized some of them and that this was a crime scene but it had nothing to do with drugs," here she paused and passed around the pictures of the 'shrine'.

"These look like pictures of couples. A lot of pictures of interracial couples," said Dr Spencer Reid after a quick glance.

"That's right Dr Reid. I recognized them from when I worked in the 'Missing Persons' division. I just transferred a year ago. I recognized two of the couples and when I realized that, I got our tech to run the rest of the couples are various pictures of seven couples. All these couples have gone missing except one couple. And then we found a loose board and we found more pictures of all the six missing couples, dead," said Detective Lewis, she spoke in a cold, detached voice. She handed out copies of pictures of the six couples alive, then dead.

"You said there are pictures of seven couples. Do you know if the seventh couple are missing yet?" said Hotch after a brief silence as everyone looked through the pictures being passed around.

There was a peculiar expression on the detective's face as she hesitantly slid over another stack of pictures.

There was an even more omnimous silence as everyone took a look at the pictures of the seventh couple.

"That's!" Reid stopped, his jaw dropping open in shock.

"Detective, is this some kind of joke?" asked Hotch in a soft but dangerous voice.

"No, sir," said Lewis, looking straight back at him.

All the others had their eyes elsewhere. Reid, Rossi and JJ were staring at Morgan and Prentiss. Morgan's eyes were locked on the pictures gripped tightly in his hands. Prentiss was wide-eyed and not meeting anyone's eyes.

"Agent Morgan and Agent Prentiss! What the hell is going on?" said Hotch, shifting his attention over to them.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The silence in the room was deafening.

"Hotch, we can explain," started Morgan cautiously, when it became clear that someone had to say something. Hotch simply met his gaze and waited for him to continue.

After taking a good look at the pictures of the seventh couple and when the realization of who they were had sunk in, Hotch had all but dragged Morgan and Prentiss into a smaller office that he had been using, locking the door and closing the blinds when they entered. The rest of the team were left to recover from their shock in the larger room with Detective Lewis.

"Myself and Em, we've been together for over a year now. When it started, we weren't really sure what exactly we getting ourselves into. It just happened gradually, we really didn't see it coming. We just started out as being good friends. But then things changed and we just knew that it was something that we both wanted and we needed to explore it to see if we could have a chance at this. A chance at having a life outside of work. We both love our jobs and initially we didn't know where this was going. We weren't sure that we wanted to put our jobs on the line for something that may or may not work out. So we kept it a secret. And then time just flew by and we've both realized that our relationship is serious. We love each other, Hotch. I swear that we have been trying to tell you and the team but somehow something always came up and time just slipped away," explained Morgan carefully watching Hotch's reaction.

"You're in love with each other?" snapped Hotch irritably, he was tired and caught off guard. This revelation had certainly come at a bad time.

Morgan and Prentiss shared a glance and Hotch suddenly noticed that they were holding hands tightly. He hadn't actually noticed when they had begun to do that.

"Yes, sir," said Morgan formally and Prentiss echoed his statement firmly, just a few seconds behind.

"Hotch, we also just got married," revealed Prentiss, feeling her husband squeeze her hand gently. She figured that they might as well tell the whole truth now.

"You're what? This is not the way to inform us, agents!" said Hotch sternly and wearily, scrubbing a hand over his face as he paced, with a great deal of emphasis on the word 'agents'.

"You're absolutely right and we're both incredibly sorry. But our jobs are and always have been really important to us and we weren't sure what would happen when we did inform you. So I guess it was just easier to wait for 'another time'," said Prentiss softly.

"And every time we did gather the team so that we could sit down tell you about us, something always came up," said Prentiss ruefully.

Hotch sighed. He looked at both of them with a frown.

"Did you really think that I would not have tried to find a way to keep the team together?" he asked them harshly.

The couple in front of him looked embarrassed but slightly relieved.

"Clearly, you have already demonstrated that the change in the status of your relationship has not in any way affected your job performance. And you're legally married right?" he barked.

"Of course we are," replied a stunned Derek Morgan.

"I can't see how the bureau can refute the fact that the both of you have done exceptionally well over the past year and nothing has been noticeably different. You have both performed your duties well and so far there has not been any indication that your current relationship has hindered your work together. What you do 'off the clock'; in your personal lives is none of the bureau's business. And the fact that you're already married is actually a good thing. However, they may have problems with you working this particular case," mused Hotch, his mind already running through legal loopholes and ways to ensure that his high achieving team remained intact. Both Prentiss and Morgan were an invaluable part of the team and he hated the thought of losing either of them just because of a set of rules.

"Hotch, we are the case," pointed out Prentiss.

"Hmm," was an absent minded answer as Aaron Hotchner continued the fast paced reasoning within his head.

"So, Hotch, you're not mad about this?" asked Morgan, after a pause.

"I'm really not the one you should be worried about. Yes, I am mad. For the record right now, I am somewhere beyond angry at the two of you. I am sorely tempted to suspend the both of your from active duty until we get this sorted out. However we have a case and that would be a counterproductive measure. Twelve people are already dead. There is no way on earth that I will allow this UnSub to achieve his ultimate goal with his next targets.

I am truly disappointed that you didn't see fit to trust us enough to tell us about something like this and I will need to re-evaluate the both of you based on your priorities and loyalties. On the other hand, I have no intention of losing any member of my team to the altar of bureaucratic principle. I need to think this through further and decide what needs to be done.

So you will both help with the profile and victimology but neither of you will be doing any field work on this case, neither will either of you file any of the paperwork. You are to mainly assist verbally and help with the brainstorming of ideas. Everything that either of you do must be supervised by another member of the team, do you understand me? Every single piece of paper, picture or evidence that you see or touch or in any way come into contact with must be with the knowledge of another fully qualified agent. Every single thing. And you cannot supervise each other nor be alone together while working the case," said Hotch firmly. His long speech was delivered slowly and forcefully, while pinning both of them with an unwavering look.

They both nodded, chastened. Hotch could see that they were genuinely sorry. His mind had started to recall recent times when Morgan or Prentiss had gathered the team and said that they needed to talk about something over a meal or during the times when they weren't busy with a case. He mentally acknowledged that it would have been challenging to be able to gather the group together and find an appropriate time to tell them about something like this.

"Go, I'll be there in a minute," said Hotch, irritation still evident in his voice. He was not letting them off the hook yet.

He watched as Morgan pulled his wife close for a brief hug and pressed a quick kiss into her hair before they walked out the door. Prentiss returned the hug immediately. Their movements were swift and fluid. He suspected that was not the first time they had stolen stray moments like that. How had a whole team of profilers missed this?

*CM*CM*CM*CM*CM*CM*CM*CM*CM*CM*

"How did we miss that?" said Rossi in disbelief, holding up an enlarged picture of Morgan and Prentiss, wrapped in each others' arms, locked in a passionate kiss.

"None of us knew?" asked Reid.

"Clearly, they chose to keep it a secret and somehow managed to keep it very well," said JJ, still stunned but feeling a slight twinge of bitterness because Emily hadn't shared anything about the fact that she was in a relationship with Morgan. JJ had thought that they had become close friends over the years. It hurt that JJ had shared a lot about herself and her struggles with her family with Emily but had not been told about something significant like that in Emily's life.

Suddenly, there was a phone ringing. JJ hastily answered the call.

"Hi Honey. Why aren't my favourite team of intrepid crime fighters at the mighty jet? The luxurious private jet which is awaiting to convey you all home after yet another heinous criminal has been apprehended by your exceptional combined skills obviously not without the help and guidance of yours truly, tech goddess extraordinaire!" chirped Garcia into JJ's ear.

"Garcia! We've just been handed a new case. And did you know that Morgan and Prentiss were together?" blurted out JJ agitatedly as she swiftly put the tech on speakerphone.

"Ah, as in together together?" but the response was just a fraction of a second too late.

"You knew!" exclaimed Reid.

"That's how they did it! That's how they kept it a secret for so long. Garcia knew and she helped them!" surmised Reid loudly.

"Helped them with what, sugar?" drawled Garcia innocently.

"Save it, Garcia. You definitely knew. Your answer came just a tiny bit too late and your tone of voice gave the game away," said Rossi shaking his head even though she couldn't see him.

"So you knew and you didn't tell us. How long have you known, Garcia?" said JJ in a tone tinged with frost. She was struggling to keep her hurt feelings locked away for now.

There was a pause while Garcia considered her options for a moment.

"Oh honey bunches, I am truly truly sorry! But it wasn't my secret to tell and Emily and my bronzed warrior hero man begged me to not to say anything. They have been trying to tell you guys but every time they managed to get everyone together, an urgent case came up, the Wicked Witch of the BAU Mistress Strauss showed up, or one of your kids got sick or something got in the way. They didn't want to tell you because it would mess up everyone's concentration when you were preoccupied with a case and they didn't feel it was fair to leave anyone out when they did tell you. They really wanted to tell you all together," explained Garcia in a rush.

"Umm, I'm extremely sorry to cut in, but I'm afraid that the secret has obviously been revealed. However, there is a serial killer still on the loose who has killed a dozen people. Now, I'm not a profiler but unless I'm very much mistaken, your team members appear to be his next targets. Don't you think that tracking him down quickly should be your main priority at this moment?" said Detective Lewis gently.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"What the hell happened?" asked Morgan through his mouthpiece as he screeched to a halt, parked and exited his vehicle quickly in the pouring rain and ducked behind it. Prentiss dove out the door on her side and took cover. There were several gunshots in their direction though none came close enough to do any harm to them.

"Our UnSub's mother told JJ that she wanted to speak to her about something then took her hostage in her home," explained Rossi curtly.

The men ducked instinctively as a shot blasted the headlights of a vehicle near them.

"What are our options?" asked Morgan, glancing towards Prentiss who was huddled next to Hotch.

"We storm in or wait for a sniper team but although this woman has clearly gone on a psychotic break, she's still pretty sharp," answered Rossi.

"Has she got the kids in there?" asked Prentiss.

"Yes," said Hotch tightly.

"Her step-daughter and the twins, there was a possible window to retrieve JJ but she refused to go without the children," Hotch said tersely.

"Every time she comes near a window she's got one of the twins clinging to her and we can't get a clear shot," said Reid grimly.

"How long is it going to take the sniper team?" asked Morgan uneasily.

"It seems that there is an overwhelming need for snipers tonight. They said it would be an hour at least for one to get here," said Rossi.

There was a flash of lightning followed by a deafening clap of thunder. The flash illuminated a window and they saw a woman holding a shotgun with a young child wrapped around her waist.

"The thunder is going to aggravate her. Tony said that she hated thunder, whenever there was a storm she's make him kneel on the floor and pray," said Prentiss anxiously.

"While holding a thick rod above his head," added Reid unhappily.

"We can't wait for an hour, we have no idea what she will have done by then," said Morgan.

"We only have a couple of the local cops because the storm appears to have caused chaos in this place. They've been called out to a bad pile-up and several other disturbances," said Hotch.

There were more gunshots in their direction.

"She's in the dining room. From the front you have to get through the living room and the stairs are just inside the main door. From the back you'd have to get through the kitchen to get into the dining room. There is only one group of four windows in the dining room and they're not big enough for an adult to climb through," explained Prentiss from memory.

"The problem is getting a visual. We have no idea what's happening in that house and we'd be risking the kids and JJ if we went in blind," said Hotch.

"What about talking to her? Has anyone tried that yet?" asked Prentiss.

"When I called JJ and she didn't pick up, I drove over here after checking with Garcia. As soon as I opened my door, I heard a scream and shots were fired in my direction," said Hotch.

"Do we know if JJ's okay?" asked Morgan.

"She was when I saw her, she was helping to draw the curtains in the living room. I was pressed up against the house to get out of sight of the windows. She's small and she probably could've gotten out that window quietly but she went into the dining room," explained Hotch quickly.

"For the kids. How long ago was that?" asked Morgan.

Hotch checked his watch.

"About 45 minutes," he answered.

"Hotch, it's your call," prompted Morgan.

Hotch called Garcia and told her to put a call through to the house. It was difficult to hear anything in the rain but they had to try.

"Someone's opening a window!" observed Reid.

"Help, us! They're fighting! Help!" screamed the teenager.

Morgan took off without waiting for a command followed by Prentiss. Rossi followed Prentiss to the front while Reid shadowed Morgan to the back. Hotch abandoned the call and raced to the window. A police officer halted to give an update on his radio while the other ran after the team.

Hotch saw that the girl was terrified and frantically trying to crawl through the window but it was narrow and slippery and she was hysterical with fear. He tried to calm her down but she was simply screaming incoherently and the noise from the storm and the fight that he could hear in the room made that a lost cause. He could hear a few gunshots and the screaming wails of the young twins. He tried to help the girl but she struck out blindly against him in panic. He glimpsed the interior of the room where he saw JJ and Phyllis Myer locked in a furious battle. Phyllis had a gun in her hand and was a larger woman but JJ was younger and more fit.

It seemed like forever to Hotch before the made it into the dining room and the other police officer reached his side. Then everything happened much too quickly but to Hotch, who was looking in through the window, it seemed like time slowed down.

The team's entry startled the battling women. Phyllis screamed but kept her hand on her gun and kept pulling the trigger. One shot hit the equally startled JJ in the side and another went straight in Morgan's direction when he burst in as Phyllis rocked back and turned at the second charge, headed by Prentiss.

Reid had learned from previous experiences and kept his cool as he fired at Phyllis even while Morgan stopped and fell down. Prentiss and Rossi also opened fire on her and Phyllis didn't have a chance. It was all over in a flash.

Time moved normally again as he heard Prentiss scream Derek's name in anguish and drop to his side. Hotch left the officer to handle the teen in the window as he ran to get into the dining room where JJ also lay fallen.

Reid pressed his folded up jacket into JJ's side hard to staunch the flow of blood. JJ looked shocked and she was not responding to his words.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"I'm so sorry, Fran. It's my fault. If I hadn't startled her, he wouldn't have been shot," sobbed Emily, when she saw her mother-in-law approaching her in the hospital. Emily had kept it together so far, since her initial scream of horror when she saw Morgan on the floor, with blood pooling around his head. But when she saw Derek's mother, her carefully cultivated stoic persona gave way and she sobbed in fear and exhaustion.

Fran just folded her daughter-in-law into her warm embrace and hugged her hard. She had no idea what the story was but she knew it couldn't be Emily's fault.

Reid didn't know what to say. He stood there awkwardly. He was waiting with Emily for news about Morgan and Rossi was waiting with Hotch to hear about JJ. The two agents had been rushed into different operating theatres and no one knew what was happening yet.

"I'm going to see if they know anything about JJ," murmured Reid, moving away.

Reid's voice made Emily gather herself together and she pulled away from Fran.

"I'm sorry I'm such a mess," moaned Emily, embarrassed. She wiped her eyes and sniffled.

"You're all right, honey. Now do you think you can tell me what happened, dear? I didn't think I was going to see you two at all while you were in town on a case," said Fran with an attempt at a smile, gently smoothing Emily's hair back from her face.

"Mama? Emily?" said another voice.

The women turned around to see Derek's sister, Desiree coming up to them.

"What happened to Derek?" Desiree asked, trying to keep her voice normal.

"Emily was just going to explain, let's sit down. You didn't tell Sarah, did you?" said Fran guiding Emily towards some chairs.

"No, Mama. But she's going to kill us when she finds out," sighed Desiree, sitting down on the other side of her sister-in-law.

"Your mother's right, Sarah shouldn't know about this. She has enough to deal with right now. Derek wouldn't...," said Emily softly, breaking off to choke back a sob.

Desiree put a hand on Emily's arm, while Fran kept her arms around Emily.

"The woman held one of our team members hostage, JJ," started Emily.

"The blonde lady who's always on tv," nodded Fran.

"Yeah. The woman had kids with her and she was shooting at us. We got called to the scene even though we shouldn't have been there because they didn't have enough people. The police were busy with other things. Then the girl screamed and we rushed in. Derek ran in the back and I ran in the front. I came in after Derek and startled her more and she shot him," Emily ended on a choking sob.

"It was not your fault, sweetie. You were doing your job, same as my boy. You cannot blame yourself for this," soothed Fran, even as her eyes filled with tears.

Desiree sat and said nothing.

After some time, a doctor emerged and looked at them.

"Mrs Morgan?" he said uncertainly.

Fran curbed her initial impulse to respond to that name and gently stood Emily up, pushing her forward. Emily valiantly squared her shoulders and met the young doctor's gaze.

"How is my husband?" asked Emily. She was proud of her strong voice, it didn't tremble.

"Mrs Morgan, my name is Doctor Laws and I can tell you that your husband is out of surgery," said the doctor carefully.

"Do you want to sit back down while I explain what happened to him? And you are?" said the doctor as he pulled up a chair opposite them.

"I'm Derek's mother and this is his sister," said Fran, slipping her hand into Emily's.

"The bullet nicked a major artery in his neck and he'd bled out a lot by the time he got here," explained the doctor slowly.

Emily turned pale and she gripped Fran's hand in hers.

"He was in shock and we had to put in a lot of blood to save him and we nearly lost him a couple of times but he's pulled through so far," he told them.

"Is he going to?" Emily didn't know what the next word should be. Her heart was pounding so hard but she felt icy cold with dread.

The doctor looked at them seriously, "We're not sure how he's going to do yet. He lost a lot of blood and some of his organs shut down for a while before we could get enough back into him. He's still pretty weak. He'll need intensive care for a while."

"I see. Can I see him?" said Emily, in a strange, flat voice.

"Not just yet. A nurse will take you once he's settled in properly. If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them or any member of my team can too," said Doctor Laws gently.

CM * CM * CM * CM * CM * CM

Reid watched Hotch pace agitatedly up and down the hall while Rossi sat in a chair and leaned back.

"How's Emily?" asked Rossi tiredly as Reid sat next to him.

"Holding on. Derek's mother came and I left," answered Reid shortly.

"How's Derek?" continued Rossi.

"Don't know yet," said Reid with a sigh.

"How long has he been doing this?" asked Reid, after watching Hotch for a few minutes.

"Since we got here. He stopped to go out and say goodnight to Jack," replied Rossi.

A doctor appeared and Hotch was on her in an instant.

"Sir, what is your relationship with Ms. Jareau?" demanded the doctor.

"I'm her fiancée," lied Hotch smoothly. He knew that he would not get information about JJ's condition by saying that she was his boss.

"Right, Mr?" asked the doctor.

"Hotchner," answered Hotch curtly.

"I'm Doctor Blake. You'll be glad to know that Ms. Jareau only suffered a flesh wound, even though it did bleed quite a bit. She's being placed in a room for observation tonight and she should be fit to go by tomorrow," said the doctor.

"Thank you, Doctor. Can we see her now?" said Hotch gratefully.

"A nurse will come to tell you where she is in a moment," she replied.

The doctor sensed his immense relief and joy and she left with a small smile.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Good morning, Detective," greeted Reid courteously.

"Good morning, Dr Reid. Agent Rossi," she nodded to both of them with a cup of coffee in her hand, she had just arrived at work.

"Can we talk in your office?" said Rossi.

"Of course," she said and led the way to the small office she shared with another detective.

The room was small, cramped and filled with files.

"The paperwork never ends," she muttered.

"Have a seat. So what can I do for you both this morning? Do you mind if I sign off on some things while we talk?" she asked, sitting down and sipping her coffee.

"Go ahead, detective. Have you heard about what happened last night?" asked Rossi, getting straight to the point.

"Yes, I heard about the shootout and that some of your agents got hurt. Are they all right?" she asked.

"They're in the hospital," said Reid.

Detective Lewis frowned slightly at his words.

"Agent Jareau is going to be fine but Agent Morgan's condition is still uncertain. This unfortunately means that we have only half the team to help solve the case you brought to our attention," explained Rossi.

"I'm really sorry to hear that. I hope he recovers. But what does this have to do with me?" said the detective, reaching for another file.

"You seem to be familiar with the case already and we know that you've completed a course in profiling. We'd like you to help us on the case for now. For obvious reasons, we feel strongly about catching this UnSub as soon as possible. Before he takes the next couple. Our team leader has spoken to your boss and he's agreed to grant us this favour," continued Rossi.

Detective Lewis finished signing the file she had and leaned back in her chair.

"It was a pretty basic profiling course and it was geared for people in my line of work. I'm not sure that I'd be of much help at your level," she said slowly.

"Right now, we're racing against time and to be honest, we just need more manpower. We'll take care of the profiling aspects," said Rossi.

"You must have pretty good leverage to get the chief to agree. This department is snowed under with cases and he's letting me go hunt just for one guy full time?" she said sceptically.

"Do you remember who Jolene Anders is?" asked Reid suddenly.

"I think she's one of the victims of this serial killer, but I'm not sure," answered Lewis.

"You're right. You have a good memory. She was also the goddaughter of your boss' wife," explained Reid.

"Right, so I guess we're set up in the same room you used for the other case?" said Lewis, standing up and grabbing her coffee.

CM * CM * CM * CM * CM * CM * CM

"Six couples from three different states over a period of about nine years? No wonder no one made any connections," groaned Lewis.

They had worked all morning to gather details of each couple and the circumstances of their disappearance and demise. The information was catalogued in chronological order and they were working to link the pieces together to develop a profile.

Hotch silently appeared after an hour had gone by. The team knew that he had gone to the hospital first thing in the morning. They were throwing around ideas to distil the information they had with Garcia on speaker phone.

"What have we got?" Hotch asked looking over the board.

"Not a whole lot yet," admitted Reid.

"How are they doing?" demanded Garcia, impatiently.

Hotch knew that she wouldn't leave him in peace until she had that information. It would be easier to tell her now so that they could go back to working the case.

"JJ will probably be discharged after lunch. Derek is stable, according to the doctors. He hasn't regained consciousness yet," informed Hotch.

"How's Emily?" asked Reid, worried about his friend.

"She's refusing to leave the hospital," said Hotch.

"Sir? Shouldn't we make sure that they're safe? I mean, since we have a killer who's gunning for them and all that?" asked Garcia anxiously.

"There'll be a police officer on duty at the door to the unit Morgan's in. I've told Prentiss that she needs to keep within his range of sight. That's the closest she can be to the unit, she can only go in once an hour," elaborated Hotch.

"He might not come after them," said Lewis tentatively.

"What? Why did you say that?" asked Rossi.

"Hear me out. Until last night, both your agents were fit, healthy and attractive people. Look at all the couples. They're all obviously healthy, attractive and fit people," pointed out the detective.

"That's true. They were all presumably taken during or after a physical activity. Disappearing when they went out for a run, after a swim, after using a gym, after a dance class, while they were playing tennis and at an archery range," said Reid, making marks to highlight the fact.

"Very good, detective. I'll leave the police officer at the hospital, just in case. What else?" demanded Hotch.

"The bodies of the first couple were found but none of the subsequent bodies turned up. Three of the couples are from this state, but they lived in different cities and it doesn't seem likely that their paths would have crossed. The other two are from neighbouring states, in towns close to the border. I think it's safe to say that the killer is from here," summarised Rossi.

"We need more input into the lives of the victims. But we're only able to contact the relatives of one of the victims,Jolene Anders and her husband. Dara and Fred Saunders' family have flatly refused to speak to us about this at all. Another of the couples, Lacey and Edward Childe didn't seem to have any living relatives. It's going to take time to interview the relatives who are out of this state," said Rossi with obvious frustration.

"You can speak to Agent Prentiss," said Detective Lewis.

The men stared at her and she met their collective gaze without flinching.

"This guy chose to target her and Agent Morgan. Like it or not, she's your best resource, since Agent Morgan can't talk. Whether she's realized it or not, they've somehow attracted the attention of a serial killer," said Lewis brutally.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Hey, Emily. How are you doing?"said JJ softly.

She was in a wheelchair and had been brought by a hospital volunteer she had managed to persuade to help her. JJ thanked the girl and she left. JJ eased herself into the seat next to Emily. She hated the wheelchair but it still hurt to walk and it was a large hospital, JJ hadn't wanted to waste any time.

"JJ! How are you? Are you okay?" said Emily, slightly startled.

"It hurts and I'll have to carry Henry on my other side for a while but I'll get by. Emily, how is he?" pressed JJ.

"He's umm, hooked up to all kinds of things. He hasn't woken up yet and the doctors are worried about brain damage from the shock and blood loss. It seems that might have caused his brain to be oxygen deprived and they can't tell until he wakes up. But the longer that he doesn't wake up..." her voice trailed away.

'The less chance he has of ever waking up,' supplied JJ mentally. She winced at the thought of losing Derek.

"Oh, Emily," she reached out and grasped both her hands warmly.

Emily was staring at the floor and willing herself not to cry. She looked at JJ.

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. We were wrong, we should have told you guys," she said sadly.

"Don't worry about that, Em. It's over and done with," soothed JJ.

"It would've been better if we'd said something even if it cost us our jobs. Then he wouldn't have gotten hurt," reasoned Emily, in a flat voice.

"No, Em. You can't think that way. Sometimes bad things just happen. There's nothing you could have done," protested JJ.

Emily stayed silent. JJ put an arm around her friend and hugged her lightly. Emily just sat and stared at the floor.

X * X * X * X * X * X

"Mommy, look! I'm flying a kite! It's flying!" yelled the excited little boy.

"I see you, sweetheart. You're doing great!" she called back with a big smile.

She lifted the baby girl in her arms and pressed the girl's chubby cheek against her own, pointing towards the little boy with the kite.

"Do you see that, baby? Your big brother's flying a kite! Can you see him?" she told her daughter, bouncing her.

The baby giggled and cooed, stretching out her arms as if reaching for the flying kite.

"Hello, Princess," said a deep voice, as a pair of arms snaked around her waist from behind and a loving kiss was placed on the side of her neck.

The baby turned immediately at his voice and squirmed impatiently to reach out for her doting father, babbling incessantly.

"Hello, beautiful baby girl. Aren't you a happy baby girl?" cooed Derek, laughing as he took the eager baby into his arms.

"She's such a Daddy's girl," said Emily with a laugh.

"She's perfect," he said proudly, rubbing noses with his adorable baby daughter making her squeal in delight.

Then he replaced one arm around his wife's waist and drew her close. Emily settled into his side with a blissful sigh and turned to watch their son playing.

Emily woke up with a gasp to find that she had fallen asleep against JJ's shoulder. JJ hadn't left her side since the morning. Her heart twisted in anguish. It had all been a dream. Just a dream.

"Has there been any change?" she asked the blonde.

"His sister came during her lunch break and she went in for this hour. We didn't want to wake you up," said JJ.

"Yeah, of course. That's fine," said Emily, still shaking off sleep. She hadn't slept at all through the night and had not slept well for the past few nights due to the case.

"Em, you need to get some rest," said JJ gently.

"No, I'm not leaving," said Emily stubbornly.

"JJ, Prentiss," said Hotch, suddenly appearing.

"Hotch, what are you doing here?" asked JJ.

"My surname is Morgan," said Emily firmly.

Hotch and JJ exchanged worried looks.

"We'll get that sorted out as soon as possible," promised JJ.

"The doctor says you can go. I couldn't find you in your room but a nurse told me that you were here. I can take you back to the hotel where you can rest," said Hotch.

"Oh, thanks, Hotch. But I think someone needs to be here with Emily," said JJ with concern.

"JJ, you're not well either. You need to rest so that you'll recover faster. You need to think about being well for Henry. I know that you hate being in hospitals. Emily should come back with you," insisted Hotch.

"No! I'm not going anywhere. He might wake up at any time and he needs me," said Emily stubbornly.

"What Derek needs when he wakes up is to see that you are well and taking care of yourself. Do you think you'll be doing him any favours if you look like hell when he wakes up? He's going to wake up and then he's going to be worried sick about his wife because you'll be about to fall over from exhaustion. I can absolutely guarantee that he's not going to be pleased about that!" scolded Hotch, in a low but firm voice.

Emily looked at him with wide eyes. She felt a flash of anger.

"How dare you?" she said angrily standing up.

"Emily, there are other people who care about him. Other people care about you too. You can't do anything for him right now but he'll need you when he regains consciousness. Get some rest so that you'll be able to actually be there for him when he wakes up," continued Hotch firmly, not backing down.

"He's right, Emily," said Desiree's soft voice.

"Aaron Hotchner," said Hotch, after a pause, introducing himself. He held out a hand to Desiree.

"Desiree Morgan, you're their boss," said Derek's sister.

"I'll stay and you can go back to your hotel or you can go to Mama's place if you like. I have the rest of the day off and Mama's coming back later," said Desiree.

"I can't," insisted Emily.

"I promise I'll call you if anything changes. Derek wouldn't want you to suffer like this. It's okay," reassured Desiree.

Finally Emily agreed to go back to the hotel with JJ. Hotch slowly led the two women out of the hospital, assisting JJ as she kept a hand on a reluctant Emily.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Emily, I need to ask you a few questions," said Rossi, sitting down on a chair in her room.

JJ took a seat next to Emily, she had insisted on being present when she heard that Rossi was going to question Emily.

"This is about the new case, isn't it? Let's just get this over with. I want to get back to the hospital," said Emily.

She was sitting straight up with perfect posture. She had managed to sleep for a few hours and her manner was now polite and collected but rigid and distant. The rest had given her time to reassert some control over herself and her emotions.

Rossi deliberately put a tape recorder on the coffee table and switched it on. They needed to ensure that they didn't miss anything.

"Can you think of anyone you've met, who could be doing this? This person has probably met you both together, as a couple," started Rossi.

Emily sat silently thinking and was obviously struggling to remember if she had noticed anyone like that.

"We know that's he's targeting attractive couples of mixed races who are physically fit. He must be pretty strong himself to be able to somehow overpower and kidnap them and smart enough to fit in. He's probably someone that generally didn't arouse suspicion, probably someone you may have met when you were both involved in a physical activity. Do you both use the same gym together regularly? Also he's probably met you here because we think he's in this state," said Rossi, patiently.

"We both use the gym at headquarters when we're home because it's convenient. We've been coming up here every weekend we're free because of Derek's sister, Sarah. She's pregnant and she also found out that she has breast cancer which they can't treat her for because of the pregnancy," said Emily slowly.

JJ winced in sympathy at the revelation. Rossi kept his expression neutral as he listened.

"When we're here, we go running in a park near Derek's mother's house. Sometimes we play some basketball with the kids at the community centre. They adore him," continued Emily.

"There are a few people that we have possibly seen several times in the park but none that strikes me as unusual. We don't have a schedule; we just head out when we can if we're here. It could be anytime in the day that we go. The kids play basketball in the evenings. There are usually a group of them playing every day," went on Emily.

"We can check out the people who work at the community centre," agreed Rossi.

"There's nothing that you can think of?" prompted Rossi after taking a few minutes to ask Garcia to check on the list of volunteers at the youth centre.

Emily was desperately trying to wrack her brain for anything out of the ordinary. It frightened her that her thoughts appeared to be hazy and jumbled up in her mind. She berated herself for being so weak and acknowledged bitterly that there was a reason that the bureau frowned upon relationships between team members. She was increasingly upset and her thoughts became even more disordered and difficult to sift through. Her thoughts were preoccupied with the image of Derek in the hospital and the helpless image of him after he was shot gained prominence every once in a while.

"Emily, it's okay. This guy is probably smart enough that he doesn't ring any alarm bells when you met him. What about just telling us about the people at the centre? Have they all been volunteering there long?" asked JJ.

"Desiree goes once a week. Myra Simms runs the administration side of things. She's been there for years. Tate Riley is a professional skateboarder who hangs out with the kids at times; he's only been coming a couple of months. Mr Trent is a retired cop who generally helps out with the activities at the centre with his wife. Wait a minute," said Emily, suddenly pausing.

"What is it, Prentiss?" asked Rossi.

"There was something I remember but it was such a small thing. Derek was playing basketball and I was watching. The Trents had been showing around a journalist from a local paper or something, who was doing an article on the centre. This guy had a camera around his neck and was taking pictures. They introduced us and we shook hands. His name was Mark Smith, I think. I did the polite thing and chatted a bit but I was pretty hooked on the game. The Trents left but the guy didn't. He started commenting on the game but I was only half listening. Then Derek scored and I called out to him. The man got a strange look on his face and he asked me about Derek. I said that he was my husband. Then he just left. I didn't think too much about it," said Emily quietly.

"What do you remember about this Mark Smith?" questioned Rossi.

JJ was already putting a call through to Garcia to look up the name.

"He was white, no particular distinguishing features. Short, dark brown hair and I think dark coloured eyes. He was about 5' 9", maybe? Probably mid-to-late 30's," said Emily straining to recall the man she had only met for a few minutes.

"He could be our guy, Emily. Good work," said Rossi encouragingly.

"Nope, no such guy with that name within the area or who is a journalist, honey. Me thinks he gave you a false name," said Garcia, who was now on speakerphone.

"Garcia, can you possibly find if the places that the victims were kidnapped from were ever featured in any article around the time they disappeared? The photographs were taken with a professional grade camera, this guy could actually be a journalist of some sort," reasoned Rossi.

"I'll need some time but I'm on it! Catch you lot later," said Garcia signing off. She could be heard furiously pounding on her arsenal of machinery.

"Emily, we're going to need you to work with a sketch artist at station," said Rossi carefully.

His teammate looked at him and sighed.

"I'll do what I can. I'm going to call Fran to check on Derek and let them know what I'm doing," she told him in resignation.

JJ got up to follow them out.

"And where do you think you're going, Agent Jareau?" said Rossi, with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm coming with you guys," said JJ.

"No, you're not," countered Rossi.

"What? Rossi, I'm fine. It's just a flesh wound," said JJ.

"Actually, you're hugging the wall to help you walk and while it may have been 'just' a flesh wound, you did take a bullet in your side and you bled out a lot. Besides, our unit chief has specifically said that you're to take time off to heal. Please, don't make me call him," said Rossi.

JJ was outraged.

"He does not have the right to do that!" she fumed.

"Sorry, JJ. Please go get some rest okay? Call and check up on Henry," said Rossi, leading Emily away.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

It was late at night when Emily finally got herself back to the hospital. Derek had been moved to a private room and was no longer in the intensive care unit. Fran said that he had opened his eyes very briefly a couple of times and then slept again. The doctors were optimistic about his recovery. Early scans had shown that there was no obvious brain damage. He was young and healthy with everything to live for.

Emily stepped in and noted that he was attached to fewer lines than before. He looked like he was peacefully asleep. She kissed his forehead and leaned her head on his for a few moments. Then she pulled a chair as close as she could to his bed. She held his hand in both of hers.

"Hey, you. Garcia says hi. She'd be here herself, only we're really far away and we're trying to crack this case quickly. Hotch isn't letting up on this one, he wants it closed yesterday. JJ's mad at him because he won't let her work. Do you think he'll ever tell her that he cares for her more than just as a member of the team? She and Will split up some time ago but they don't seem any further forward. Do you think Hotch would ever bend the rules for her? " she paused and lovingly caressed his face.

Emily continued talking to him gently.

"I'm glad you got up the courage to tell me that you love me. Life's way too short. I love you. I love being married to you. And now we don't have to hide it from the rest. I'm actually really happy about that. I'm going to keep my ring on now," she said looking at him, then glancing at her wedding ring. She had slipped it onto her finger. It was usually worn on a chain around her neck while they were at work.

"Derek, you need to listen to me carefully okay? When I was waiting outside with JJ, I had this really vivid dream. We were in the park and we had two beautiful kids. I was watching our little boy. He was adorable and looked so much like you. He was learning to fly a kite. He was so excited. And I was carrying our little girl. She looked like an angel. She was gorgeous and of course, she was her Daddy's little girl. She adored you. I felt incredibly happy. It was so wonderful," she told him.

"I want that, Derek. I don't think I've ever realized it before. I have no idea how I'll be as a mother but I'm sure you'll make a great dad. I know that having kids is a huge step but I think we can do it together. And I think it's going to be amazing. Now you just have to come back to me. Please, Derek. I can't lose you yet. We just got started on the rest of our lives," she whispered to him. She felt her tears slowly trickling down her cheeks.

There was a knock on the door.

Emily brushed her tears away hastily and turned to the door.

"Yes, who is it? Come on in," she called.

Spencer Reid put his head through slowly.

"Hi," he greeted shyly.

"Hi, Spence," smiled Emily, shakily.

"Umm, Hotch just ordered us back to get some sleep but I'm too wired right now. Would you like some company for a while?" asked Reid, looking very self-conscious.

Emily didn't have the heart to tell him that she did want to be alone with Derek just now. Spencer was being very sweet and she knew that he was probably exhausted but he had made the effort to be here to support them.

"Of course, genius. Pull up a chair," said Emily, hoping he wouldn't notice the tears tracks on her cheeks. If he did, he made no comment.

CM * CM * CM * CM * CM * CM * CM

"Hotch, can I speak to you?" said JJ, immediately confronting her unit chief angrily as he entered the hotel lobby with Rossi.

"Good night, Hotch, JJ. I'll see you in the morning," said Rossi quickly. He headed up to his room, he could read the irate media liaison's body language clearly and he did not want to get caught in the crossfire.

"JJ," acknowledged Hotch with a weary sigh, rubbing his temples. He was extremely tired and stressed out. They still did not have a viable suspect. It was late and they would have to be up early again tomorrow. Director Strauss wanted them back at headquarters and he hadn't even told her about two of his agents being married yet. Hotch was feeling the intense strain.

JJ's heart gave a lurch as she took in his tired eyes and frustrated demeanour. She guessed that the day had not been very fruitful in the search for the serial killer that had targeted the members of their own team. It was always more draining when it involved one of their own.

"Hotch, you can't keep me away from this case any longer. I don't need any more time off. I'm fine. You can't make me stay out of this, you guys need me. You're overstretched without Derek and Emily isn't really working at her best right now," said JJ, but her tone was not as harsh as she had intended it to be.

"JJ, I'm sorry but I need to get some sleep. We'll talk about this in the morning," said Hotch, suddenly feeling a wave of exhaustion breaking over him mercilessly. He was another member of the team who had not had much rest in recent nights due to the circumstances and his added worries as unit chief.

JJ looked at him with concern now and followed him to the elevator but Hotch was simply too tired to protest.

"Hotch, have you been sleeping okay? You don't look so good yourself," asked JJ, completely changing tack.

Hotch uncharacteristically started loosening his tie as soon as they stepped into the empty elevator. He leaned back against the elevator wall and briefly shut his eyes.

"Not since the case. But that's not unusual. Then this and Strauss wants us back now. And you and Derek get shot. So no, JJ I haven't been sleeping well," snapped Hotch suddenly. He walked out of the elevator.

JJ still kept after him, partly in shock at his harsh words. Another part of her was still concerned and determined to do what she could to make sure that he slept. Subconsciously she registered that he must really be sleep deprived because Hotch very rarely lost his self control around her. Hotch clearly could not survive much longer without sleeping properly and the stubborn man thought she needed rest!

JJ entered his room immediately after him and Hotch simply looked at her with a puzzled frown for a second. She knew that he must be really tired to have lost his concentration like that. Then he sighed.

"JJ, I'm sorry for that. I shouldn't have yelled at you, I'm just...," started Hotch.

"Way too tired," finished JJ for him.

He grimaced and wouldn't meet her eyes. He flung his jacket on the back of a chair and sat down at the tiny desk in the room. He reached for his briefcase. JJ's eyes widened and she walked over to him as quickly as she could and gathered up the papers he had taken out.

"Hotch! You need to sleep! You just said so yourself! And I am not leaving until you get into that bed! You're too tired to do anything else," ranted JJ in disbelief.

Hotch shut his eyes briefly and muttered something before reaching for his papers.

"Hotch, no!" protested JJ, refusing to let go of the papers.

JJ lost her balance as Hotch tugged at the files in her hands and before either of them realized it, she ended up on his lap with a painful groan. Instantly, Hotch released the files and wrapped his arms around the petite blonde in concern. He was terrified that he had hurt her.

"God, I'm so sorry, Jayje. I didn't mean to. Is it really bad? I'm so sorry," he moaned, frantically trying to figure out how to fix this. He had caused JJ more pain. He couldn't believe it. She already looked so fragile.

"Hotch, why can't you sleep?" asked JJ suddenly. She rubbed at her side, the jolt of pain in her side was quickly receding.

Hotch unconsciously held her close as he closed his eyes and buried his head on her shoulder in despair. She thought she heard a muffled groan.

"Aaron, what's wrong? Please let me help. It would probably be better for you to talk about it. You need to sleep but you can't. It can't just be the case. Is it because of Derek? I just spoke to Emily, he's opened his eyes a bit. He's getting better," whispered JJ, her arms automatically wound themselves around Hotch in return. Her hands soothingly caressing his head and back. She knew that he was close to Derek Morgan, especially since the time Derek had taken over as team leader. She couldn't hear what he was mumbling.

"What?" she asked, pulling away slightly.

Hotch looked at her with haunted eyes.

"She shot you. It was like Haley all over again. There was so much blood and I couldn't stop it happening, any of it. I couldn't do anything, damnit! I watched it through the window! You could have died too and I...," here Hotch stopped.

JJ looked at him in surprise, this was not what she had expected.

"You can't sleep because of me?" she asked in an awed whisper.

Hotch refused to meet her eyes again.

"Aaron. Aaron, look at me!" she commanded, lifting his face towards hers.

His eyes still looked away.

"I'm fine. Hurts a bit but it's not that bad, I'm not going to die from this, see?"said JJ, using her other hand to place his gently on her bandaged wound site.

"There was all this blood. I thought you were...," whispered Hotch brokenly.

"But I'm not, Aaron. I'm still here. Please believe me," she whispered back desperately.

JJ lifted her blouse slightly and moved his hand to rest gently directly on the wound.

"I'm okay," whispered JJ, pressing her forehead against his, willing him to put this behind. It wasn't his fault. There was nothing he could have done. She was still here.

His fingers moved ever so softly across her skin. His touch started to send prickles of heat down her spine. Tenderly, he moved his fingers up and down her side.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"You look like you actually slept some," commented David Rossi as he glanced at the Unit Chief entering the office with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"You're early," stated Hotch blandly.

"No, it's just that for some reason, you're not," fired back Dave, with a raised eyebrow.

Hotch kept his silence and focused instead on a file he picked up from the table.

Before Dave could continue on his train of thought, the laptop on the table flashed to life.

"Okay, you guys. I got something," announced Garcia.

"Proceed," said Hotch immediately.

"But sir, shouldn't we wait for the rest to here before I wow you all with my fantastic knowledge and technological savvy," questioned Garcia.

"We're here, Pen. You can start," said JJ's soft voice. She entered with Reid by her side.

"JJ! You're back! How are you, honey? Are you sure you should be back? Shouldn't you be resting? I mean you just got shot and oh! No, Miss Detective Lewis isn't here yet," blurted out Garcia at top speed.

"Garcia, I'm fine. Thank you. Nothing a mild painkiller can't take care of," said JJ with a small smile.

"And Avery is here," JJ nodded her head towards the detective who had slipped in.

David Rossi followed his initial hunch and verified it very quickly. When he realized that the blonde media liaison had entered, he made a point of looking at Aaron Hotchner's expression. He caught the subtle spark that appeared in the Unit Chief's eyes when they landed on their petite colleague.

David watched his team leader with growing amusement as Hotch invariably directed his glance back to JJ every few seconds. The senior profiler kept the majority of his attention on the discussion regarding the case and surreptitiously observed the interaction between his two friends and team members. By the end of the session, David Rossi was convinced that he knew the reason behind Aaron Hotchner's slightly more rested demeanour this morning and why he had not been the first into the office today.

CM * CM * CM * CM * CM

"How long have they been missing? And why weren't we notified?" demanded Hotch angrily.

"About 36 hours," answered JJ steadily.

"The only reason we know now is because the detective from the 'Missing persons' department actually listened to the briefing I gave a couple of days ago and clearly paid attention. The Wrights are a young and healthy couple. They could have just decided to go away on the spur of the moment.

This killer is meticulous in his methods and he knows that. I'm pretty sure he counts on it too. By the time people start taking notice, there are no clues to find. And after all, without any bodies, some of the relatives of the missing couples hope that they may just turn up somewhere, sometime," expanded JJ.

"So he must have been watching them at the same time as he was watching Derek and Emily," said David Rossi thoughtfully.

"He's escalating, the first four couples were taken roughly four to five months apart but the last couple that we know of went missing only a month ago," said Reid gravely.

"How long has Morgan been in the hospital?" said Hotch, thinking out loud.

"About two days," supplied JJ.

"So Avery is right and he is only taking fit and healthy couples. But how did he know that the Morgans didn't fit his criteria anymore and why has he escalated?" continued Hotch.

"Get Garcia," barked Hotch.

Reid was already dialling the number.

"Garcia, the UnSub somehow found out about Derek being shot and I'm assuming that he also knows about the fact that the police had found the room with all his pictures. How did he find out?" said Hotch as soon as the call connected.

"He must be connected to the police somehow. We didn't release Derek's identity to the press, I'm sure," said David, looking at JJ.

"There was a guy with a camera I think," started Reid.

"What? Where and when, Reid?" asked Hotch.

"Garcia, can you get access to the security cameras at the hospital? I think, I think that he was going to take them but then they got called in as back-up. And I think that he followed us to the hospital and something he saw triggered him," said Reid, thinking furiously.

"Reid, what are you telling us?" asked Dave.

"When Derek's mom showed up, I decided to go and check up on how JJ was doing. While I was walking away, I noticed someone with a large camera beside a vending machine. His shoes were wet. I noticed his camera because it was a very expensive model, the type that professional photographers used. I remember wondering how much it cost with all the additional accessories he had on it. Like the telescopic lens," said Reid slowly.

"Hospitals have pretty crappy security systems but there are a few cameras in some places," groused Garcia as she busily tapped away at her keyboard.

"Garcia, can you find the man that Reid is talking about?" asked JJ.

"Patience, my sweet," chirped Garcia.

The tension in the room mounted as they could do nothing but wait for what Garcia could find.

"Ugh, this is awful. They have no standards! Seriously! The system is ancient, fossilized, a museum piece!" ranted Garcia as she worked.

"Garcia!" said Hotch impatiently.

"Sorry, boss. But this is the best I could do. Your guy is pretty careful. Had on a cap, a scarf, dark clothing and tinted glasses. Definition of paranoid, I think," said Garcia, presenting the clearest picture she could come up with.

"Fits the dimensions that Emily gave us as far as I can tell," said Rossi, looking at the grainy still.

"Garcia..." started Hotch.

"On it, Boss," said Garcia, knowing that she needed to dig up everything she could about the suspect.

"Reid, you stay and work with Garcia," instructed Hotch.

"JJ, do you think you're up to coming with me to interview the Wrights' parents?" asked Hotch, carefully.

JJ nodded reassuringly.

"Dave and Avery, could you go to the hospital and try to get more information from Emily and possibly Morgan if he's up to it?" said Hotch.

They agreed and everyone prepared to go on their way.

David Rossi wasn't disappointed as he deliberately watched to see the Unit Chief dropping a hand lightly onto JJ's shoulder and drawing it down easily to her back coupled with an intensely protective look as he guided her through the doorway. He gestured for the detective to precede him and threw a glance at the oblivious Reid. Unsurprisingly, the Boy Wonder clearly had not cottoned onto what he had observed so far, Dave surmised with a smirk.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"So, you really did it, huh? Settled down and tied the knot. With Emily Prentiss of all people. Who would've thought?" commented David Rossi with a dry chuckle to the still form of Derek Morgan on the bed.

It had taken all of Reid, JJ and Hotchs' combined best efforts to convince Emily that she needed to leave Derek's side and have a decent meal somewhere other than the hospital cafeteria. Rossi had volunteered to accompany Derek until she got back.

"Hiding it for over a year from a team of profilers was no mean effort too. I suppose Penelope's help was invaluable. But maybe we all did see what was happening but just never connected the dots. You two were already pretty close so it was just probably less different since you flirt with each other all the time anyway.

Now Aaron on the other hand. He's wound up so tight with his squeaky clean by-the-book posture that he can't quite hide it when something changes on a personal front with him. It seems that love is in the air. I can't wait to see Erin's face when she finds out," continued Dave, with a smile. Then he sighed as he looked at his friend.

It had been five long days and for some reason Derek had not woken up yet. The doctors could not say why. He was breathing by himself and off life support. He was now only on a drip for fluids, a nasal cannula for extra oxygen and some monitoring leads. Emily was looking more lost and despairing with the passing of every moment.

"You need to wake up, Derek. We're all worried for Emily. She's not looking too good. And when you're up to it, we can go and find out from Penelope who won the pool for JJ and Hotch getting together. I'm pretty sure the date was the night before, I've made a note of it," Dave continued to talk as he sat by his friend and waited for him to wake up.

CM * CM * CM * CM * CM * CM

"So how close are you guys to catching this guy?" asked Emily with a tired sigh. The rest of the team at the table traded glances uncertainly.

"Look, guys. Last I checked, I was still on the team. You dragged me out here to take a breather from the hospital so I guess we're not talking about that. There's not a lot to say about the weather and there's really nothing else I'm up to date on that we can chat about so unless someone else can come up with another congenial topic to talk about, this is it," said Emily, frustration evident in her voice.

"And stop looking at me like that," she added in irritation as they all gave into sheepish and apologetic expressions aimed towards her.

"Uh, right. So today we did find out where he held some of the couples and there are teams out searching the premises to see if we can find their remains," Reid grimaced as he heard himself speak, belatedly realizing that maybe he should have eased into the topic rather than blurt all of that out.

"What about clues to where he's holding the pair that are now missing?" asked Emily, not missing a beat.

"Garcia is working on algorithms that we've discussed but so far not much. He can't be far though, the problem is that this is a decent sized town and there are a lot of areas nearby that he could be holding them," mused Reid.

"And so far he hasn't given up much," added JJ.

Emily frowned. There had to be something else that she could remember that would help.

"We'll find him, Prentiss. You've done as much as you can. You are not to blame for any of this," said Hotch in a warning tone as he took in her expression.

"The sketch I gave didn't really help much, did it?" said Emily.

"It was pretty average and had no unique identifying markers," started Reid, before he caught the warning look on JJ's face. He stopped abruptly.

Emily let out another frustrated sigh.

"Emily, stop it! Hotch is right. This is not your fault in any way. You need to concentrate on Derek, right now. We'll handle this," insisted JJ, placing a hand on the brunette's arm.

Emily turned even paler at her words and pushed her plate of food away.

"I'm going for a walk," she managed, before leaving the table as fast as possible.

"Emily, stop!" protested a stunned JJ, unsure how her words were affecting her friend.

Reid just stared, unsure of how to handle the situation.

"I'll talk to her. Try to eat more dinner," said Hotch firmly, quickly rising from his seat. He took a brief moment to meet JJ's eyes and give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, then hurried after his team member.

Hotch did not try to overtake Emily as he followed her. He simply kept her in sight as she strode on. Eventually they ended up at a wide intersection and Emily simply stopped. She dropped down on the curb. At first Hotch was alarmed about her being hurt but then he saw that she had simply flopped down as if she were a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Hotch took his time approaching her. When he was several steps away, he called out to her to make sure that she knew it was him. He knew better than to startle her, he had heard what had happened to Morgan when he had snuck up on her.

Emily didn't react to the call. She simply sat there, looking down. Her arms were by her side and she was just sitting there. Not a sound or a sob, just sitting.

"Every day, I think that I should have been able to do more. It is my job after all, to figure out the clues faster, to catch him sooner. So that he wouldn't kill her. Every single day, over and over and over, it's something I think about. It's something I have to live with," said Hotch in a low voice. He was then silent. He sat down next to her on the curb.

After a few minutes, Emily whispered, "You did everything you could to save Haley."

"And you're doing everything you can do for Derek and to help us find this UnSub," stated Hotch.

Emily hugged herself.

"He won't wake up and nobody knows why. Even the doctors say that he should have by now and they don't know why. What if it's because he doesn't want to come back anymore? What if it's because he's given up and he thinks that he's better off, not living anymore?" said Emily softly, Hotch could hear the heartbreak in her voice. He could hear the rejection that she felt overlaying her words. She was afraid that Derek didn't want to come back to her anymore.

"Emily, you know that's not true. You're feeling tired and lost and down. Derek will wake up it's only a matter of time. I know that he'd always fight for you, I'm sure that he's doing everything that he can to get back to you. Emily, listen to me, the man loves you. I've seen it in his eyes and in hindsight, in everything that he's done for you.

I'll admit that looking back, it's been evident for a while now that he loves you. We just didn't call it what it was because it was probably easier that way. Please trust me, Emily Prentiss-Morgan. Your husband loves and adores you and he will come back to you," said Hotch with gentle conviction. He placed a hand on her shoulder lightly, just for reassurance. They sat there.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Move, move, move!" yelled the team leader as the armed team stormed the compound.

After the initial team had cleared the small cluster of storage containers, the BAU team stepped in to survey the area.

"He's not here," said Rossi in a level voice, though he was seething with frustration.

"Not now, but he was," agreed Aaron Hotchner flatly as they looked at the human bones the team had started to uncover.

Detective Lewis couldn't completely mask her expression of disgust and horror at the scene.

"He kept some of them here. He had already prepared this container when he brought them. They're soundproofed just enough to a height to make sure that an adult wouldn't be able to make a noise by banging on the sides," commented Reid.

"Not that it would really matter that much with all the noise from the railway most of the time," sighed Lewis.

JJ took one look at the scene and got busy on her mobile. The team knew that she was busy preparing a press release to control the amount of information that would be put out regarding the scene that they had found.

It would take some time to identify the skeletal remains. All of the team knew that their find would help bring closure to the families of the victims. However the positive identification of the victims would forever extinguish the flickering hope in the families that somehow somewhere their loved ones were still alive. And the killer was still out there.

# CM # CM # CM # CM # CM #

"Mommy, come home?" asked Henry hopefully, staring at her wistfully out of his big blue eyes. No less eloquent for being projected over a Skype video feed.

JJ's heart wrenched in anguish as she heard her little boy's plea. She had never been away from him for so long at a stretch before. The extra case and Morgan's injury made it impossible for her to go home anytime soon. But she missed her baby boy terribly.

"I'm so sorry sweetie, I can't today," she answered miserably, feeling like the worst mother in the world. This was one of the reasons, Will had left. He said that she prioritised her work too much and didn't have enough time for her family.

Henry sighed sadly and stuck his thumb in his mouth. It seemed to give him comfort but now that he was nearly two, JJ had been trying to wean him off the habit. Knowing that, Garcia allowed him a few sucks before gently prising his thumb out of his mouth and tucking his stuffed turtle into his arms to cuddle.

JJ's breath hitched at the fact that she wasn't able to be there for her son. She was flooded with feelings of guilt and remorse and struggling not to cry. She was already overwhelmed from the day's events and the constant worry about Emily and Derek.

"We're all working really hard so that your mommy can get back as soon as possible okay, buddy? You've been really good and she's so proud of her little man. Why don't you tell mommy what you did in the park today? You had fun playing with Jack didn't you, sweetheart?" interceded Garcia as she noted JJ's increasing distress.

Henry looked pensive for a while but eventually started babbling away. He didn't have the best command of language yet but the women both knew that he was still a pretty enthusiastic story teller in his own way. Once started, Henry could babble away for a good length of time in his own little language interspersed with some short sentences.

Once Garcia set him on track, he easily led the conversation and made JJ smile by brightening into his sunny little self. He had evidently had a great time with Jack, whom he adored and wanted to emulate.

It warmed JJ's heart to know that. Whatever it was that was happening between her and Hotch, she knew that it would affect their children as well. No matter what came her way, Henry was still the main focus in her life. JJ would never even be able to consider a relationship with someone if she thought that would be a problem in any way for Henry.

JJ was so grateful for the blessing that Henry was in her life. She couldn't imagine her life without him. Her thoughts drifted to her other team members. Hotch had the same focus. Jack was in many ways probably the only thing that kept the man from killing himself outright with his job. He wouldn't leave Jack without his remaining parent. JJ inwardly sighed as she listened to her sweet son's chatter. She desperately hoped that it wasn't too late for Emily and Derek. They'd make amazing parents.

# CM # CM # CM # CM # CM #

Derek was lost. He felt lost and he knew that he was lost but for some reason, he didn't know what to do about it. He couldn't remember how he had come to be in this predicament. He didn't know why he couldn't seem to get out of it.

Derek didn't know what he had to do. Nothing was clear and it felt like he was just wrapped up in a thick fog. He just didn't know how or why he was lost. And he certainly he didn't know how to fix it. He had a vague feeling that he really needed to find his way back somewhere somehow. But how or why he had to do that was still unclear.

Derek remembered that he was himself, just about. He could hear voices. But he couldn't seem to focus on them. Somehow he knew that it was very important for him to do so. He had an instinct that the voices would help him. It was just really difficult. Derek could do nothing else but keep on trying. Somehow he had to figure this out, he needed to.

# CM # CM # CM # CM # CM #

Reid noted that Emily seemed to be growing paler by the day. He had come to the hospital to visit at the end of the day. It was well into the night now. They had spent hours working until they were all exhausted and Hotch had sent them off. Reid suspected that the Unit Chief would still be working himself despite his order to his team.

But Reid was starting to learn to distance himself from his job. Gideon's departure, though painful had made him think. Reid had realized that unless he switched off every once in a while, he was going to end up burnt out very quickly. He knew that the job they were doing was important, so he was trying to change and pace himself. Hotch had Jack and Reid knew that would help him survive. Reid had no close relatives but his mother. The team were his family.

Emily seemed glad to see him so he sat there with her. He told her about the case and she contributed ideas. It occurred to Reid that it may not be strictly within the rules to be doing this by Derek's bedside. But they were talking in low voices and as far as he could tell, it held Emily's interest and kept her from worrying about Derek for awhile. He quickly weighed the pros and cons and continued with the conversation. Everyone coped in their own way.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Okay, this has gone on for long enough, Mister! You need to get your head back here where it belongs and your luscious ass outta that bed! You've been there for days and I think that we're starting to lose Em too. If you don't get yourself back online, I'll...

Oh! Umm, hi, Mrs Morgan, I'm so sorry, this isn't what it sounds like. I mean.. I.. I wasn't really threatening him or anything, I just ..." babbled Garcia in a panic as she noted the older woman's presence in the hospital room.

"Want to try anything desperately to help him recover like everyone else does?" offered Fran with a small smile.

"Yes, umm, sorta. I thought that maybe if I just kept talking like that, maybe, he'd answer back like and just snap out of... whatever this is like he normally does," admitted Penelope sheepishly.

"Right now, I'll take anything," sighed Derek's mother, looking at her son on the bed.

Penelope kept quiet for a little while in sympathy.

Then she ventured another question that had been eating away at her, the longer her friend continued in his comatose state.

"Mrs Morgan?" she all but whispered over the internet connection.

"Yes, dear?" answered Fran instinctively responding to the scared sounding voice of the tech genius.

"Has Emily, I mean, is she? Oh, damn, has she, umm ? Where is she?" asked Garcia, unable to voice her actual question for fear of the response.

"She's at my house. Hopefully getting some rest," said Fran gently.

"Oh, that's great," said Garcia tentatively.

"She hasn't given up, you know," said Fran gently. She watched as Garcia turned red and as her eyes filled with tears.

"She's been gone for hours now," croaked Garcia, valiantly trying to refrain from bursting into tears.

"She needs the rest for now. She'll be back, Garcia," said Fran soothingly.

"They'll be fine," said Fran steadily, reaching over to grasp one of Derek's hands in both of her own and massaging his fingers gently.

"He won't let go and neither will she," she stated with confidence. Garcia watched for several seconds then hastily signed off as Fran started to croon a lullaby. She couldn't hold back her tears any longer.

# CM # CM # CM # CM #

"We were so close," sighed Rossi, in a voice that conveyed the muted frustration of the entire team. Everyone was on edge at having failed to capture the UnSub. In the back of their minds was also the fact that Derek was still in a coma. None of them had had a proper nights' sleep for a few long days. The strain was slowly but surely starting to show.

Hotch suddenly abruptly walked out of the office they were working in with a carefully blank look on his face. However as they were all close to the team leader and were extremely good at their profession, everyone was well aware of his heightened level of intense stress and worry. Rossi watched the look of tension mount on the features of their blonde media liaison at his departure. JJ was still able to keep her head and didn't immediately follow him out. She waited a good twenty minutes before finally excusing herself and undoubtedly going after their team leader. Dave reflected that maybe it wasn't quite so difficult to keep a relationship a secret if no one was looking for it.

Reid continued working but Detective Lewis looked up with a speculative expression. She seemed to have a good intuition for certain cues. Rossi wondered how long it would take the rest of the team to find out about this new development.

"Where is Agent Prentiss?" suddenly asked Lewis abruptly.

"I think she's at her mother-in-law's house. Why?" answered Reid after he had taken a few seconds to sift through his memory and provide the answer.

"She may be in danger," answered Lewis, curtly.

"What do you mean? She's not a target anymore. The UnSub would have switched to another couple, we know that he watches several at once before selecting a pair as his next victims," stated Rossi.

"Yes, but why does he target them? The coroner's reports are a bit sketchy due to the fact that by the time we find them, the bodies have been there a while. But there is a consistent pattern.

The males are the ones that have been tortured and are probably the ones who die first. The female victims are actually in fairly good condition apart from the fact that they've been murdered. They're not abused or ill-treated," said Lewis, pointing out the relevant parts of the various coroners' reports.

"The man that Prentiss met was a white male, who seemed to have a deep seated racial prejudice against blacks," said Rossi.

"What if, he's not doing this with the intent to murder both the husband and wife?" theorized Lewis.

"His intent may be to show the wife the error of her ways with being in love with a man of a different skin colour and possibly to win her for himself," surmised Rossi.

"But he never succeeds in convincing them of that, so he kills them both in the end," concludes Reid.

"He was at the hospital," says Reid quietly, his eyes widening in alarm.

"Call, Hotch and JJ. I'm heading over to check on Emily," said Rossi, pulling out his mobile as he quickly strode out towards his car.

"Damn it, Emily! Pick up!" cursed Rossi, as he tried to contact his team member without success.

He didn't realize that Detective Lewis had followed him out until she slid into the car seat beside him.

"You need back-up," she said simply at his glare.

There was no time to argue as he reversed out and drove as quickly as possible to his destination. She was right.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Emily stayed still as she quickly assessed the situation. Her heart was pounding and it echoed harshly in her ears. She knew that she didn't have much time. She didn't even have her gun though she wasn't sure she would be able to use it in the small hospital room anyway. Derek was on supplementary oxygen and she was unsure of what harm gunshots would do in the confined space.

Straining with all her might with her hearing she tried to pinpoint the intruder's exact location in the hospital room. She was feigning sleep and dared not open her eyes. Emily had taken a cab in the middle of the night and snuck back into her husband's room to sit with him. She had fallen asleep sitting in the chair while resting her head next to his chest. She had drawn his arm around her shoulders and her arm was resting on top of his torso in a semi embrace.

An indefinable instinct had awakened her when the intruder had walked in. She was used to the entrance of nurses and medical staff. Normally they tried to be quiet but their movements were familiar and they never tried to be stealthy to escape notice, just to minimize being a disturbance while they went about their duties at night. She was used to being semi awakened when they came in to do observations on Derek. This intruder's actions were significantly different and menacing.

Forcing herself to concentrate, she listened for the footsteps and breathing of the person who had come in. The person was on the other side of Derek's bed. She cautiously raised her eyelids without moving her head, which was tucked into Derek's side. She couldn't move to see much but she detected a spark of light at the periphery of her vision.

Suddenly Emily felt the intruder lifting Derek's arm from her shoulders. Instantly, she realized that the IV line was connected to that arm. With no other choice, Emily shoved hard against the intruder and tried to inflict as much damage as possible while doing it, to protect them both. She was already not in a good position from being seated and acutely aware of the presence of her injured husband in the bed. Both factors prevented her from delivering enough force behind her attempt at an attack.

The flashlight dropped to the floor with a loud thud and Emily was left grappling desperately with the man in the dark as her eyes adjusted, while lying half across Derek's prone figure. Though Emily was well trained, the man was standing up and physically stronger. It was not much of a fight. He gained the upper hand and Emily started to feel herself choking as the man strangled her.

'How could this be happening when there are so many people just beyond the door to this room that was only a few short steps away?' screamed Emily's brain in a futile panic as she gasped for breath. Then all was darkness.

CM * CM * CM * CM * CM

"Is Emily here?" demanded Agent Rossi as soon as Fran Morgan opened the door to his frantic knocking.

"Yes, in the guest room. Why?" she answered. She immediately became fully awake at the seriousness of the look on his face.

"I'll go and take a look," she said hastily, leaving the door open and Rossi and Detective Lewis followed her inside. The detective took the time to firmly close and secure the door behind them.

Fran gasped when she turned on the light in the room and found that Emily was not in the bed or in fact anywhere else in the room. However, it didn't look like anything was out of place. Rossi pulled out his mobile and started making calls as he stalked through the entire house without another word. Fran also started searching in other places to see if Emily was still in the house. Though in her heart Fran knew that it was a futile effort, it gave her something to do for a few minutes. Emily was an adult, she had the keys to the house and clearly she was gone. She had probably made her way to the hospital to be with Derek. But who knew if she had reached her destination safely? It was evident that she had left some time in the night because Fran herself had only gone to bed an hour or so after Emily.

"She's probably gone by herself to the hospital. Doesn't look at all like he showed up and grabbed her from inside this house. Not his style," said Detective Lewis softly to Rossi. He was on the phone but nodded his agreement at her summary.

With a sigh, Detective Lewis went to explain to Fran why they had so rudely awakened her in the middle of the night. They would stay awhile to make sure that Fran was safe in her home and then join the rest of the team who were on their way to the hospital. Hopefully, they were not too late.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

As soon as the remainder of the BAU team approached Derek's room, they knew that something had happened. Each member's heart plummeted at the frenzy of activity leading towards a particular hospital room. They were possibly too late.

Reid had been driving when Hotch received the call from Rossi. He had accelerated even more while listening to Hotch's side of the conversation. Neither of his teammates commented as he drove them to the hospital at breakneck speed, running through several red lights and missing other vehicles by scant inches. Clearly even Reid had acquired aggressive driving skills from his time on the team. They would all have done the same.

Hotch's expression became grim as he walked purposefully to the area. JJ and Reid walked quickly to keep up as he lengthened his stride to get to his destination without wasting any more time. Their faces were equally sombre and alert. They shoved away their exhaustion and closed ranks.

There were too many people coming and going in an unfamiliar setting for the team to piece together what had happened immediately. They did notice that there were several policemen guarding the entrance to Derek's room, instead of only a single officer that had been the norm for the past few days.

Hotch sized up the participants quickly and headed towards the officer that appeared to be in charge. He recognized the man and assumed the recognition would be reciprocal.

"What happened, Officer Green?" he barked without any formalities of speech.

The weary policeman took a few minutes to get his bearings before he finally placed the Unit Chief, in his memory.

"The uh, UnSub, as you guys call him, decided to come after your man in there," he replied with an exhausted voice.

They had all surmised that and were barely able to contain their impatience.

"He killed the officer at the door to get in," explained the officer. They all then realized that he was also taxed with grief and anger. The life of a good comrade had been lost. They tried to be patient.

"As far as we can tell, Agent Prentiss was there too and she fought with him. He strangled her and no one outside really noticed until the monitors went crazy and somehow, your Agent Morgan managed to press the emergency call button for help," narrated the officer.

The BAU team breathed a tiny sigh of relief but prudently waited to hear the rest of the story.

"The medical team weren't really used to dealing with things like that. The first nurse panicked and just threw herself at him. Luckily, he hadn't had time to take out his gun or it would have been a lot bloodier. Another one of the nurses or doctors, I'm really not sure which, was a bit smarter. Swung the end of a crutch she'd managed to grab on the way in when she heard the yells to call security. That did some damage to the guy and he let go.

Eventually security got up here and other people called us in. But not before the guy lost it and just went crazy. He got in a lot of hits and damaged some people really bad but did not kill them, thankfully," continued the policeman.

"Did you manage to restrain him?" asked Reid.

"A group of us held him down while a doctor jabbed him with some stuff to calm him down. It was either that or bash his head in. Frankly I would have preferred the latter," growled the officer.

Hotch sensed that they were not going to get much more from this man so he let him go. JJ was already looking around for a medical staff member to ask about Derek and Emily.

"Agent Prentiss blacked out due to a lack of oxygen and she may have some throat fractures but other than that and a sore throat, she should be fine. Agent Morgan, interestingly, has appeared to regain consciousness. Which is miraculous timing and probably saved her life but definitely ironic that he comes to when his wife passes out," stated a doctor gruffly, when accosted by JJ.

"I have just examined Agent Morgan and I'm sure that with some physiotherapy, he'll be absolutely fine. Now if you'll excuse me. I have other patients to attend to," continued the doctor, leaving quickly.

"What an ass!" huffed JJ, indignantly.

"I think he's just had a very busy night and there are always less staff on nights. Also he may have been involved in helping restrain the UnSub, he has scratches on his neck and the disarray of his hair at the back indicates that someone had gripped his hair extremely tightly," pointed out Reid.

"Right. I didn't notice that," muttered JJ, with a shamed face.

They both suddenly realized that Hotch was missing. He must have slipped away.

"Guys, what happened?" came the voice of David Rossi, with Detective Lewis in tow.

"They're okay," said JJ with a smile. She started telling them what had happened with a brief interruption to call Fran and inform her that her son and daughter-in-law were okay.

Reid wandered over to Derek's room. He absently thought that they should also inform Garcia as soon as possible.

He saw Hotch talking to Derek. Derek could talk. He was extremely relieved to witness that. Hotch finished what he was saying and squeezed Derek's shoulder. Derek still appeared weak and he closed his eyes when Hotch stopped talking. Hotch caught Reid's eye as he glanced towards the door.

It was all going to be okay. The team had survived intact. They were all still alive. For now.


	15. Chapter 15

Epilogue

"You sure you won't reconsider our offer?" asked David Rossi intently.

Detective Lewis smiled gently and shook her head slightly.

"Thank you. You've been very kind but while I have enjoyed working with your team on this case, that is not the kind of work I would want to do on a regular basis. I like my current job," she answered firmly, shaking his hand.

"If you're ever in Quantico, you should drop by and visit," said JJ with a bright smile, taking her turn to shake the detective's hand.

Detective Lewis looked extremely surprised but pleased. "Thank you, I may take you up on that offer," she replied with a smile of her own.

Then it was Hotch's turn to approach her and give her a firm handshake. His expression was stoic as usual and his "Thank you for your help, Detective," was polite and brief. However she didn't mind. She had seen the way he had lead and cared for his team members. She understood and respected that he kept his emotions in reserve to do the job he had to do.

Lewis watched the BAU team for a few more minutes as they geared up to leave. She smiled a bittersweet smile at the sight of the relatives of the last missing couple who unfortunately they were unable to save. The UnSub had escalated and murdered them before his attempt on Derek and Emily at the hospital. That was a terribly bitter blow to everyone involved. She would have to live with the feeling of guilt for not being able to locate them sooner even though she realized that they had probably done as much as they could have. It did not lessen the guilt she felt.

She stayed away from the team as the relatives thanked the team for bringing them a swift closure to their turmoil. They could lay their loved ones to rest and start to heal. That was the only thing that could be done now for them. She swallowed a lump in her throat and kept her chin up. It only confirmed her resolve to stay. Her place was here. Her eyes swept over the familiar sights of her work place. Time to get back to work.

CM * CM * CM * CM * CM

"How did you convince the doctor to discharge you the day after you awaken from a coma and were assaulted by an UnSub?" puzzled Reid with a frown.

"That's because my stubborn son decided that if his wife didn't need to stay in the hospital then he wouldn't too. And so he tried to jump out of bed while still attached to an IV line. When that didn't work, he sweet talked a pair of volunteers into getting him into a wheelchair and into the lobby then nearly managed to get into a cab before the medical team caught up with him," ranted Fran shaking her head at her son.

Derek shrugged and didn't look the least bit repentant sitting comfortably supported on a high backed sofa with Emily resting against his shoulder. His throat was sore too and his voice was still weak. Neither of them looked particularly wonderful but they were both alive and whole. With some rest they would both recover and be just fine. That was what was most important.

"So you decided he would be better off recovering at home?" said David Rossi, though it wasn't really a question. They all knew that Derek would probably have just kept trying to leave until he collapsed and did himself more harm or actually succeeded. Neither Derek nor Emily tolerated hospitals well.

Fran was obviously still fuming but had evidently come to the same conclusion.

"This way I can keep my eye on both of them," confirmed Fran grimly.

"But you can't care for both of them by yourself," pointed out JJ with concern.

"I'll be here," said Desiree, coming in from the kitchen area.

"I'll stay for a little while to help Mama. There's enough room here, don't worry," she said smiling at JJ.

"Mrs Morgan, if you or Morgan or Prentiss need anything. Anything at all, please give me a call," said Hotch formally, handing her his private number.

There were soft snickers from the pair on the couch and Desiree laughed brightly.

"Thank you, Agent Hotchner. But please, call me Fran. Don't you worry, they'll be fine here," replied Fran, matching his tone.

"Don't worry, Agent Hotchner. Mama can deal with Derek, she doesn't really need me. I'm here for the show. She'll make sure he gets better and takes care of himself and when Em's throat is less sore, I'm sure she'll join in," said Desiree.

Hotch gave a small smile and nodded his thanks.

Each of the team took their turn to say their temporary goodbyes. Emily and Derek would rest and recuperate in Fran's home while the rest of the team had to fly back in a couple of hours.

"Don't even think that you'll escape a proper girls' night only, when you get back," said JJ to Emily sternly. Emily merely cocked an unconcerned eye. Derek grinned when he heard that then abruptly stopped at JJ's expression.

Rossi's eyes twinkled but he didn't quite give away what he had found out about the other couple on the BAU team. He did leave both Emily and Derek trying to figure out what he meant but he knew that they would find out in their own time.

Reid farewelled them with neither threats nor innuendo. Just his well wishes as he carefully hugged them both. Hotch said goodbye in his usual reserved manner and then they were off. All of them extremely grateful that the case was over and they were going home.

"Derek, Emily, I thought that you two hid your marriage because you couldn't be together at work?" queried Fran returning to the living room after waving the team on their way.

Derek and Emily looked at each other with puzzled looks.

"It's still true isn't it?" said Fran, correctly interpreting their expressions as both of them gave simultaneous nods.

"Hmm," said Fran and shrugged lightly.


End file.
